Analysis of Patients Hospitalized in Thoracic Surgery Clinic from Emergency Department of a University Hospital

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Thoracic surgery consultation is frequently requested for traumatic and nontraumatic reasons in the emergency department. Diagnosis and treatment of these patients is very important for the clinician who competes with time. In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of patients who were hospitalized to thoracic surgery department from the emergency department. METHODS: 435 patients who were hospitalized by thoracic surgery were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' admission complaints, diagnosis and prognosis were examined. SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Windows 23.0 program was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 47.63 +- 20.9, 284 (65.3%) were male and 151 (34.7%) were female. 269 of the cases (62%) were admitted for traumatic reasons and 166 (38%) were for nontraumatic reasons. The most common diagnosis was pneumothorax (n: 134), followed by isolated rib fracture (n: 73) and massive pleural effusion (n: 59). The most common treatment modality was tube thoracostomy (n: 180). Only 4 patients had died. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Consultation of the thoracic surgery in the emergency department is requested in patients who are affected by respiratory function and require emergency thoracic intervention or surgery. The most common finding in these patients is pneumothorax and the most common treatment is tube thoracostomy. As in our study, the early diagnosis and treatment of these patients has a positive effect on mortality.

Keywords

• emergency department
• thoracic surgery
• thoracic emergencies